Best kept secret
by onmyside
Summary: When Martha Levinson arrives at Downton Abbey, Mrs Hughes and Mr. Carson are confronted with their past and with something that was never meant to be revealed... the question is: why does Mrs. Levinson knows it? And will she reveal the secret? A short fic about the first tiny bits of the series 03 trailer. AU!
1. Second encounters

_A/N this was supposed to be only a tiny tiny one shot. When Martha Levinson arrives at Downton she seems so familiar with Carson/Hughes and because my headcanon for our favourite housekeeper and butler is so strong, I wrote this little piece. Then, people asked me to continue it and here it is, chapter 01 which will be continued soon._

_A/N2 it's my headcanon, it's AU, and this is definitely not in character ;)_

* * *

**Second encounters**

"They are coming, Mr. Carson!" Alfred, the new footman stuck his head through the door he had opened with a bang mere seconds before.

Elsie almost jumped out of her chair she was sitting in when the young man entered unannounced.

"The next time you take the time and knock before you enter a room!" Charles replied sternly, trying to keep his anger in check. "Thank you Alfred, we'll be upstairs in a minute." The man hurried away, leaving the door open.

"I wonder who taught him his manners," grumbled Charles. "And why we employed him as a footman in the first place." He put his tea cup down on the desk and was about to stand up when her small hand on his arm stopped him.

"He will learn soon enough. After all he has a good teacher." Elsie rose with him and smiled warmly to calm him down a bit.

Charles hand squeezed hers briefly. "Sooner better than later, my dear. Let's hope he remembers what I taught him now." With that he left his pantry and hurried up the stairs to welcome their guest. Elsie followed close behind.

ooooo

They had gathered outside the front door: Thomas, Alfred, Miss O'Brien and some of the housemaids. A full reception was impossible at the moment. Charles was still one footman short and Anna had a half day off to visit Mr. Bates in York.

Elsie straightened her back and moved a bit closer to the butler. Their hands brushed unnoticed. The last time they had seen Martha Levinson was ten years ago, before the war, before everything. In a different lifetime! She stole a glance at Charles. He seemed nervous too, his whole body tense.

The care came into view, a new model with a closed front. Wheels crunched on the gravel when the chauffeur stopped the automobile in front of them. Alfred rushed from his position in the line to the door, opened it and waited for the passenger to step out.

Her style hadn't changed; Elsie thought when Martha Levinson stood before them. The woman embraced her eldest daughter and afterwards her son in law. She was loud and direct in her comments and greetings, so different compared to all of them. Especially when she all of a sudden addressed her and Charles!

"Carson and Mrs. Hughes! The world has moved on since last we met." Indeed it had moved on, Elsie could not help it and let out a deep sigh. Martha Levinson winked at her.

"And we have moved on with it, Madam." She heard Charles answer politely and wished he had said something different. Mrs. Levinson patted his shoulder knowingly before she moved on to greet the other members of her family, including Isobel Crawley and Tom Branson.

ooooo

Trunks were carried upstairs to a guest bedroom and Charles made sure that Alfred was always at his side during the short tour around Downton Abbey. He could not risk a mistake in front of such an important guest.

Martha stood in the large hall looking up at the ceiling and then back at her daughter. "Well, well. It still stands and I am glad to see familiar faces." She motioned towards Charles who stood nearby and at Elsie who had just instructed one of the housemaids to take care of the extra duvet Mrs. Levinson always requested.

Charles cleared his throat and hoped no one else had noticed. Out of the corner of his eye he saw how Elsie shook her head and made a small gesture, indicating that she would wait for him downstairs.

"Mother, we have prepared a light luncheon for you. You must be very tired from your long journey." Cora tried to lead her mother towards the dining room but Martha turned around and talked to Charles again. "Congratulations."

She knows, Charles thought, and tried not to show how nervous he was. He muttered a "Thank you" and then urged Alfred to follow the Crawleys into the dining room. He had to trust his new footman now with serving the cold luncheon. Charles needed to get away for a moment.

ooooo

Elsie paced her sitting room. From the desk to the door and back again. She knows! She rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. But how? She had just arrived back at her desk when a familiar knock on the door told her that Charles was back from the first encounter although it was much too early.

"Come in." Elsie leaned against her desk, playing with the silver chain around her neck.

"She knows." Charles simply said.

"I know." Elsie held their wedding rings in her hand, studying them closely. "But how did she find out?"

* * *

TBC


	2. The First Battle

_A/N wow! Thank you for your wonderful reviews/likes/story following - I did not expect this at all because it was a one shot with an opening at first and not supposed to be a real story. It's not the kind of stuff I usually write. But here comes the second, silly chapter. This one is for kouw! 3_

* * *

**The First Battle**

Alfred came running down the stairs a moment later. This time he knocked on the door and waited patiently for Charles to allow him in.

"Mr. Carson, you are needed upstairs. The two ladies…" He was so out of breath that the rest of the sentence was an incomprehensible stutter.

"Alfred slow down and repeat what you wanted to say." Charles looked his new footman directly in the eye, sternly and decidedly. The young man was a few inches taller than him but Charles Carson was a person that radiated respect and a certain strictness so he never had a problem reprimanding those under his jurisdiction. Yet one particular member of the staff had problems suppressing her laughter behind him.

"The Dowager Countess and Mrs. Levinson, it is like a war!"

Elsie could no longer control her amusement and snorted.

"I will be upstairs in a minute. You, Alfred, hurry! You should not even be down here."

The footman immediately turned around and ran upstairs again taking two steps at once.

ooooo

"It is like the last time." Elsie had herself under control now. "And I am sorry that I could leave this scene uncommented, Charles."

He rolled his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"One moment we wonder how much this woman knows about us and the next I have to try my best to act as referee."

Elsie tugged the two rings back underneath her dress and closed the gap between them, her left hand over her heart and her right one reached out to touch his cheek.

"Charles, you are the only one that can reconcile their fight. Maybe it will be of advantage to be on Mrs. Levinson's good side?" Her thumb gently stroked his bottom lip. "Whatever happens while she is here, she will not separate us."

Elsie saw how Charles' gaze was fixed on her other hand where he knew their rings were concealed.

"And we will find out how and why she knows."

He kissed her hand and then went upstairs to the battlefield.

ooooo

Alfred had not exaggerated his account of the heated discussion between Martha Levinson and Violet Crawley. The two ladies sat across each other at the large dining room table. On Mrs. Levinson's left her daughter tried to smile and calm down her mother. To the left of the Dowager Countess, Lady Mary bit her bottom lip in an effort not to laugh whereas Lord Grantham's face was red with anger.

"So you say that Britain should "get rid" of its aristocracy and of course also of its servants?!"

Charles eyes widened when he entered the room and heard Lady Violet speak. He also picked up the look Lord Grantham threw at him. An urgent request for help.

"Let us not exaggerate what I said, dear Violet. I merely pointed out that such grandeur", she pointed at the room in general, " Is no longer suitable, necessary and of course not tolerable."

Alfred hid behind Lady Violet, not ready to her the next blow. Charles noticed that the Dowager Countess finally realized that he was in the room now. She fixed his gaze before she answered.

"In other words, dear Carson can look for a new employment. And the same would apply for Mrs. Hughes or the footmen? Where should they go?"

Lord Grantham calmed down a bit, now that his mother had came up with this argument. The luncheon had stopped being of importance anyway. Charles saw that the plates were still half filled with the cold roast beef and asparagus Mrs. Patmore had prepared as a welcome for Martha Levinson. And Alfred still held the decanter with red wine in his right hand. There was no point in continuing with the luncheon and so Charles remained standing behind Martha Levinson and waited for her answer.

But when the American spoke again, turning her head around to take a look at him, he momentarily forgot how to breathe.

"I am sure that especially Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes would have no problems with a life outside of service."

Charles flinched. He knew exactly what Martha Levinson was implying and he hoped desperately that the other members of the Crawley family did not pick up her hint.

"Mother, I will not tolerate this anymore!"

Mrs. Levinson turned around again, away from Charles, to face her son in law.

"Carson and Mrs. Hughes are our employees, yes. They serve us, yes. All of this is true but they also chose this as their profession. They are not our slaves. And I think you cannot speak for them and decide upon their future."

To ease the heated atmosphere in the room, Charles motioned at Alfred to quickly refill the glasses while he started to clear away the main course. Lord Grantham had saved him at the last minute.

* * *

**TBC**

(sorry it is short but I thought better a fast update than waiting longer for a 2000 word chapter ;))


	3. Eye Witness

_A/N This is getting more silly with every chapter :D. Honestly. I have no idea who wrote this! It wasn't me. _

_Thank you for your lovely reviews! Sorry that I haven't found the time to reply to them. _

* * *

**Eye witness**

Later that day, after the eventful luncheon, Elsie was checking the upstairs bedroom at the south gallery one more time to make sure they were ready for the wedding guests. She adjusted a sheet and coverlet here and there, plumped up the cushions one more time and placed vases with freshly cut flowers on side tables and commodes. She had just left the blue bedroom when a voice directly behind her made her jump.

"Mrs. Hughes! Oh, I am sorry. It was not my intention to scare you." Martha Levinson smiled at the housekeeper and Elsie tried to pass by her without any further comment, ignoring her as best as she could. There were still a few more rooms she needed to have a look at before dinner preparations would start downstairs in the kitchen.

But Mrs. Levinson did not let her slip away so easily. "I remember this room." She had a look through the door that was still open. Elsie stopped dead in her tracks but did not turn around. She waited anxiously for the next comment.

"I think you know what I mean, don't you Mrs. Hughes?" She emphasized Elsie's surname.

The housekeeper swallowed hard, took a deep breath and turned around with a self-assured smile on her lips.

"Madam I am afraid I don't know what you are referring to."

It was a lie of course but Elsie would not give her secret away so easily. Why did Martha Levinson feel the need to intrude their private lives like she already did ten years ago? And most of all: risk hers and Charles' reputation, relationship and employment? Maybe the woman was bored and sought for excitement? As if the scene during luncheon hadn't already been enough for today. Charles had recounted what had happened most vividly when he returned from upstairs all the while pacing the floor in her sitting room. She had never seen him that nervous.

Martha took a few steps towards Elsie and closed the distance between them.

"The kiss of course." She winked. "I am still sorry though that I interrupted your intimate moment."

She saw us, Elsie thought and tried to hide her surprise at this news. She had suspected it since that very day but had never been absolutely sure about her suspicion.

ooooo

_Charles had looked for her, searched every room to tell her that he had finally managed to get the license and a date for their wedding at the registrar's office in Ripon. She had been busy preparing the rooms for the season, draping white sheets across charis and commodes to keep the dust away while the family was away in London. Charles would go with them, again, of course. And she had been in a foul mood because of that all day. Additionally they also had to prepare Mrs. Levinson's suitcases and organize the packing. Her Ladyship's mother found it all so very exciting to go to London and enjoy a full season there. Whereas for Elsie and her girls it meant an extra amount of work. On top of it all._

_And then there was Charles, bursting into the room without knocking, almost tripping over a small side table. _

"_I've got it," he whispered. _

"_What?" Elsie did not even look up to him although he stood right next to her. She was too busy with all the preparations and he only disturbed and distracted her. She had tried to ignore the fact that he would leave her alone in this big house for three months the next day. _

"_The license!" She felt his lips on her neck before she was able to turn around and look at him wide-eyed._

"_Really?" It had changed everything. She could not believe her luck and how this dreadful day all of a sudden had turned into one of her happiest._

_Charles nodded and cupped her cheeks. "When I return from London we will go to Ripon and become husband and wife."_

_Elsie's face hurt from smiling at his words. She could not believe it._

"_Only three more months." Charles whispered before he kissed her sweetly and gently._

_A knock on the door forced them to break this intimate moment immediately. Charles grabbed one corner of the white sheet Elsie was about to throw over a small chaise lounge and pretended to assist her. Elsie turned her face away from him and concentrated on a spot on the carpet._

"_I've been looking for you Mrs. Hughes." They heard Martha Levinson's unmistakeable American accent behind them._

ooooo

When Elsie did not answer, Martha came even closer and finally whispered in her ear. "I won't give you away. I find it rather sweet that you got secretly married."

Elsie fought the urge to get away from all of this and most all tried to hide that she was blushing.

"I am sorry to disappoint you Madam, but I think there had been a misunderstanding", was all she managed to say.

Martha furrowed her brow and scrutinized Elsie. "Are you trying to tell me that you _live in sin_, like they say?" A smile appeared on her face. "I'd never have thought you would do that."

And Elsie realized that her denial had actually made things worse.

* * *

**TBC**

**(I promise to stay ooc!)**


	4. The Truth

_A/N Sorry for the delay but I was in London, meet sooo many wonderful people, then series 03 started and the angst killed me. And I can never write fanfiction when there are new episodes running. So this chapter is silly, ooc, au - everything but "real". Please forgive me. Because i usually do not write things like this at all! _

* * *

**The Truth**

She found her husband downstairs in the wine cellar, sorting and counting the bottles they would need for the wedding. A new delivery had arrived earlier and he was surrounded by half empty wooden crates, always careful not to stumble over them in the semi-darkness. But then he almost dropped the bottle of Bordeaux he had just picked up when he heard her voice behind him.

"She _knows_ about us." Elsie said, putting and emphasis on the word 'know'. It was no longer an assumption but a fact and it made things different and even more complicated than she was willing to admit.

"What are you doing down here?" Charles balanced the wine bottle and at the last minute managed to securely store in on the shelf in front of him. "And who knows what?"

"Mrs. Levinson of course." How could he forget?

Charles furrowed his brow and stared at his wife for a moment too long.

"What is it? Have you lost your ability to speak?" She had come here for support, hoped he would hold her and tell her that it did not matter, that whatever Martha Levinson had seen or heard was nothing that would give them away; that there was nothing she could tell Lord or Lady Grantham about the housekeeper and the butler that would make them believe they were actually married. It was naïve to think like that of course.

"I am sorry Elsie. I didn't expect news like these." He opened his arms and hoped she would accept his apology. Elsie took a few steps forwards and sank into his embrace, her head resting on his chest.

"No I am sorry. I should not have bothered you. I know how much concentration is needed to organize this cellar."

He laughed quietly. "There is a hint of sarcasm in your voice my dear."

"There might be." She closed her eyes for a moment before she looked up and into his face. "Let's start again, shall we?"

The grin on his face told her that he this was a good idea so Elsie repeated her words. "She _knows _about us."

"How can she be certain? I thought she only suspected something but, lucky for us, had no proof?"

Elsie sighed and brought one hand up to her temple, rubbing the pain away that had started to throb behind her left eye. "She has proof now."

Charles shook his head questioningly. "I cannot remember kissing you in the middle of the big hall or holding your hand in front of her." He placed a light kiss above her left eye.

"Do you remember the day before you left for the season, the Blue Room?"

A loving smile crept on his lips.

"Of course I do. How could I ever forget it?" But then realization dawned. "Are you trying to tell me that she overheard us?"

Elsie bit her lip before she answered her husband's question. "I am afraid it weren't the words we exchanged back then that she witnessed but the kiss…"

He inhaled sharply. "And what will we do now?"

"I am not sure." Elsie admitted, resting her head against his chest again. "Be even more professional than usual?"

"Would be best", he sighed.

ooooo

Dinner was a strangely unspectacular affair compared to what had happened during luncheon. Mrs. Levinson talked to her grandchildren, tried to find out more about Matthew Crawley and earned a few snarky comments from the Dowager Countess. A few times Charles caught Martha how she tried to wink at him without anyone else noticing. But he remained calm and ignored her as best as he could. He was nothing more than the professional butler, always the perfectionist, never showing any kind of emotion.

At nine in the evening the family eventually decided to retire earlier than usual. Wedding preparations would require a lot of everyone's time the next day and the Dowager Countess refused to be in the same room with Mrs. Levinson for a minute longer.

Charles had sent the maids into the dining room to clear the table and prepare it for the next morning before he took care of Violet Crawley.

"I hope she doesn't stay long," she whispered when Charles helped her into her coat and hat. "I cannot listen to her accent a second longer."

"Mrs. Levinson did not tell us how long she would like to stay, milady," he answered although he secretly hoped that her stay would not be extended long after the wedding.

"Let's hope she leaves right after the wedding."

ooooo

"Have they gone to bed already?" Elsie looked up from her paperwork when the door to her sitting room was opened.

"It's an early night indeed." Exhausted he sat down at the small table. "Mrs. Patmore has already sent the kitchen staff to bed and I've told the housemaids to call it a night. They will have enough work tomorrow with the final preparations."

Elsie put down her pen and switched off the small lamp on her bureau. "Then let us go upstairs and _rest _as well." After all, everyone was in their rooms by now and there was no chance to run into Martha Levinson again. She had ruined their day, she would not ruin their night.

"I'll make one last round and join you after that." Charles suggested when Elsie stood up from her chair and approached him.

"No you won't. If you insist on checking everything again a second time then I'll accompany you." She offered him her hand, helped him out of the chair and they both went back upstairs, hand in hand until they reached the green baize door that led to the large hall.

Carefully and without making a noise, Charles opened it and they slipped out into the darkness. Only the moonlight illuminated parts of the large staircase. Otherwise the house was black and quiet. Elsie would have loved to hold his hand again but she did not want to try her luck. She followed her husband around the rooms, helped him to check all the windows and doors until the returned to the hidden door that led to the servant's staircase again.

"Finished?" She asked and searched for his hand in the darkness.

"Yes." He squeezed it and was tempted to bent down and kiss her but managed to suppress this urge when he heard someone coming down the stairs. Within seconds he had taken one step back and established a respectable distance between him and the housekeeper.

"Madam, is something wrong?"

Martha Levinson had reached the bottom of the staircase, holding a candle. "Oh no. I could not sleep and thought a short would help."

Elsie nervously clutched the keys at her hip and tried to smile when she realized that the woman would not simply leave them alone again.

"Do you usually take this rounds together?"

Charles cleared his throat. "Not very often but tonight Mrs. Hughes kindly offered her help so that we could save some time, Madam. After all, there will be a lot of work tomorrow." He hoped that Mrs. Levinson had not noticed the slight hesitation.

"I see. But Carson, you don't have to lie to me." She smiled and the candlelight illuminated her face in the otherwise dark hall. "And I think you know what I am talking about."

Elsie could not keep in the background any longer. "Madam, if I may say something?" Martha Levinson's behaviour was really getting to her. First the hints the woman had dropped in the Blue Room earlier that day, the conversation at luncheon and her welcome at Downton. It was too much. Elsie knew that they had decided to ignore it all, to stay professional and calm, to give her no further indication that she was actually Mrs. Carson. But it seemed that none of it had worked.

"Well, I am waiting." Martha smiled at her and then at Charles who unconsciously had closed the gap between him and his wife.

"We are not living in sin." She could feel how he turned his head to look at her. "We've been married for ten years now."

* * *

**TBC later**


End file.
